Branded and Scarred

I'm sure you know that branding is the "cowboy" way of marking his animals to prove ownership.  It's been going on for years.  When you are viewing or looking at an animal, like cattle or horses, the brand stands out or shows up and can be seen by the naked eye.  It is easy to see if someone is trying to sell and animal or if you are trying to locate a stolen animal.  Brands are "registered" so that only one person has a specific brand.  The location of where the brand is placed on the horse is also noted in the registration (such as on the upper right hip or the left shoulder).  

Several years ago I developed my own brand and had it created by a welder.  It's a running R with a T that comes off the right angle of the R.  

Brands are created by two different processes.  One is created by hot fire and is called a "fire brand".  The fire brand kills the hair and is basically a scar on the hide of the animal.  No hair grows in the area where the hot branding iron was placed.  The other process is created by dry ice and is called a "freeze brand".  The freezing cold actually changes the hair growth and white hairs grow back.  It's still like a scar, however, it does have hair growth.  

I freeze branded my bay horse Smash with a freeze brand.  It is very easy to see on him since he is a dark red brown color.  This is Smash's brand.  It is placed on his left upper hip.  

Below is a photo of Mosey, my gray horse, right after the freeze branding took place.  It was swollen like this for several days.  It eventually went down.

 This is how it looks today.  It actually froze off most of the hair but there is a little white that shows through. Since he is almost white (pale gray), if it were white, it would not show up. 

This however, is my favorite marking on him.  It is a scar where he cut his let years ago in barbed wire.  It is the sign of a cross.  It is on his back right lower leg.  His black skin shows up very well through his white hair.  If I lost him or someone stole him, it would be easy to identify him by this cross scar.  I think it's kind of cool that he wears a cross.

1 Corinthians 1:18 
 For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.

I'm back to riding regularly now, well as regularly as you can in 100 degree south Texas weather.  Even after being "off" for 3 months, he's still as steady as you go.  He's still quiet and doesn't get in a hurry to go anywhere.  I'm so grateful I was not riding him the day of the accident.  If I had been, it might not have happened.  He's still my go to guy for calm and relaxation, for quiet and peaceful outings in the country.  Being back in the saddle is the best rehab ever!

Mark 8:34  Then he called the crowd to him along with his disciples and said: “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me.

Encourage One Another, continuing the journey on fresh paths.

Blessings and love to you, xoxo.